1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system, an information processing device, a connection device, and a connection device designation method for designating the connection device for communication device to connect to.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a wireless communication system utilizing a wireless LAN defined by IEEE 802.11 is constructed with at least an access point (hereinafter referred to as “AP”) that serves as a wireless base station, and a plurality of wireless LAN terminals. Wireless communications are conducted in an infrastructure mode. The term “infrastructure mode” refers to a communication method in which the AP mediates communications among the wireless LAN terminals, instead of having the wireless LAN terminals conduct direct communications with each other.
The wireless communication system may include a plurality of APs. In this case, in order for a wireless LAN terminal to conduct communications through a particular AP, the initial settings in the wireless LAN terminal must be set with an Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID) or another ID number that has been set in the particular AP to distinguish it.
For example, the identical ESSID may be used to form a single, closed network connecting an AP arranged in a specific area where meetings are held (e.g., a meeting room) and various wireless LAN terminals that meeting attendees respectively bring to the meeting. Exchanges of data necessary for conducting the meeting can be performed via the wireless LAN. A “closed network” means that the network cannot be accessed from wireless LAN terminals other than those used by the attendees in the meeting (PAN: Personal Area Network).
However, when using the ESSID to specify the particular AP to build a conferencing system as in the above-mentioned conventional wireless communication system, each attendee must reconfigure the wireless LAN terminal that he or she will bring to the meeting with the ESSID designated for the AP to be used at the next meeting. This was an extremely burdensome aspect of constructing the conferencing system.
Furthermore, when using such a conferencing system, there is a case where multiple APs are to be used in a single meeting and the wireless LAN terminals connecting to these APs need to be distributed evenly. In such a case, a different ESSID needs to be assigned in advance to each AP, and the ESSIDs assigned to the APs need to be distributed to the wireless LAN terminals of the meeting attendees evenly so as to prevent communications traffic from getting concentrated at a particular AP. Conventionally, it has not been possible to perform even distribution of the ESSIDs in an automated fashion.
Moreover, in a case where a connection was incorrectly made to an AP in a neighboring meeting room, for example, the user would have to change the access point and try to connect to a different network. Each time this action is taken, the user must change the SSID set in his or her terminal, or must pre-set the terminal with as many SSIDs as there are networks, which is burdensome.